It is advantageous to deliver a coolant closely to a cutting area, using a cutting tool having a coolant supply, directing a coolant to a cutting edge of the cutting insert for minimizing the heat accumulated due to the interaction of a cutting insert with a machined workpiece. Conventional techniques for providing lubrication and/or coolant to cutting edges of cutting inserts typically involve introducing the coolant via openings in a toolholder for the cutting insert, or via spray nozzles directed at the cutting edges such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,198. Some cutting inserts include channels formed in the cutting inserts that are in flow communication with and facilitate introduction of coolant from channels provided in the toolholder body. The provision of these coolant flow channels in the cutting inserts tends to substantially complicate manufacture of the cutting inserts, and the channels can weaken the cutting insert.
EP 2 789 415 A1, EP 0 656 239 A1 and US 2011/311323 A1 show various cutting tools having coolant conduits.
It is desirable to provide a cutting tool that facilitate introduction of coolant to the cutting edges of the cutting insert that minimizes manufacturing complexity. It is also desirable to provide a cutting tool that facilitate introduction of coolant to the cutting edge without substantially interfering with the strength of the cutting insert.